Ab dilli door nahin

The Delhi of the Mughal twilight is resurrected in dance, music and poetry.

It’s an old battle: Dilliwallas versus Mumbaikars, both claim their city is the best. Delhi, accused of being unsafe and decadent, loses out to the cosmopolitanism of Mumbai, where music, dance and literary events dot the culture buff’s calendar. But here is a chance for the original home of culture to strike back.

For those familiar with Delhi, mention of Purani Dilli brings to mind chaotic traffic, narrow roads and decaying buildings. This is the Delhi that languishes in the vicinity of the Jama Masjid and the Red Fort. Hard to believe, isn’t it, that this was once the place to be, the hub of everything refined, delicate and indulgent? Grand havelis housed VIPs, Ghalib walked the streets and the last Mughal sat on his throne, composing poetry while his empire faded away.

‘Jashn-e-Purani Dilli’ comes to Mumbai this month, bringing alive the Dilli of the first half of the 19th century. It is conceptualised and directed by writer Kulsoomnoor Saifullah.

Sufi qawwals and Kathak dancers will try and recreate the atmosphere of Dilli. Transported to the steps of the Jama Masjid, tales from the Arabian Nights will be narrated in Urdu, in traditional dastangoi style. A ghazal evening will echo those patronised by Bahadur Shah Zafar. Poets Zauq, Mir, Momin, Dagh and, of course, Ghalib, will try and outdo their rivals and please the emperor with their own wit and poetry.

The India Harmony Foundation, which focuses on cultural events, brings this programme to Mumbai after a similar show in the capital. Talented theatre artists Zakia Zaheer and Syeda Hamid, Kathak exponent Shovana Narayan (as choreographer), narrator Ghazala Amin and singers Farhan Mujib and Vidya Rao are the individuals who will turn their expertise toward recreating that era of gloss and harmony, when the best of the best flocked to Delhi, creating culture as well as history.

‘Jashn-e-Purani Dilli’, September 27, Nehru Centre Auditorium, 7-9.30 pm. Passes are available at the venue